JBA long tubes any mounting problems?

[2010 Infantry Vet]

I have been throwing around the idea of the JBA long tubes since i have broken exhaust manifold bolts. I also recently have been smelling rotten eggs which leads me to believe my cats are starting to clog up. Have any of you had any fitment issues with JBA longtubes?
I am aware I will need a Y pipe to make it work, and have jay greene burn me a tune to turn the cat sensors off.

 

[Pull Ya]

One of the problems that a lot of guys have has to do with the dipstick bracket. The bolt will not back out completely without loosening the motor mount. A lot of people just cut the bracket off and then do a little "bending" to get the dipstick back in. Some people have this problem and I'm sure you will hear from people that have no problems at all-----I guess pay your money and take your chances.
Jay

 

[Wild one]

I have been throwing around the idea of the JBA long tubes since i have broken exhaust manifold bolts. I also recently have been smelling rotten eggs which leads me to believe my cats are starting to clog up. Have any of you had any fitment issues with JBA longtubes?
I am aware I will need a Y pipe to make it work, and have jay greene burn me a tune to turn the cat sensors off.

Get the 1 3/4" JBA's,they fit better then the 1 7/8" versions do,especially on a 4X4.

 

[2010 Infantry Vet]

Get the 1 3/4" JBA's,they fit better then the 1 7/8" versions do,especially on a 4X4.

Thanks. Im with you 100%. I see no need for 1 7/8” headers without a cam or ported heads. Ill have to message the seller on ebay and see if he has 1 3/4.
I have heard of a guy on here that had trouble bolting up JBA shorties, and want to check to see if anyone had mounting problems with the long tubes.
These JBA are 304 stainless...same as the ARH.

 

[Wild one]

Thanks. Im with you 100%. I see no need for 1 7/8” headers without a cam or ported heads. Ill have to message the seller on ebay and see if he has 1 3/4.
I have heard of a guy on here that had trouble bolting up JBA shorties, and want to check to see if anyone had mounting problems with the long tubes.
These JBA are 304 stainless...same as the ARH.

To put the 1 7/8" on my 4X4 a couple years ago,was a bit of a nightmare. On mine we had to trim the motor mount slightly,dent the front primary tube etc.,and I finally gave up on stock dipsticks and bought a custom 29" long Lokar flexible dipstick. There are guys that have had the 1 7/8" fit though.Seems to be luck of the draw on whether JBA gets the tubes in the jig properly,lol

 

[stimpy433]

I'm crossing my fingers and going to send you a rabbits foot for good luck before you begin your install!!!

 

[Jwithing]

If you're contemplating, just pull the trigger. You'll be glad you did.

As for install, you probably read my thread already and know how much of a nightmare my experience was. That said, fitment of the tubes themselves was fine. If you're going to do the install yourself, I'd recommend going the Lokar custom dipstick route. It'll cost you, but I wished I had it during my install. I ended up using the JBA gaskets, so I have some unused OEM gaskets still that I can sell you if you're interested.

 

[2010 Infantry Vet]

If you're contemplating, just pull the trigger. You'll be glad you did.

As for install, you probably read my thread already and know how much of a nightmare my experience was. That said, fitment of the tubes themselves was fine. If you're going to do the install yourself, I'd recommend going the Lokar custom dipstick route. It'll cost you, but I wished I had it during my install. I ended up using the JBA gaskets, so I have some unused OEM gaskets still that I can sell you if you're interested.

I take it yours are long tubes? If I have to make an indentation on one of the tubes to clear, and fab up a dipstick mount, thats not bad considering these are only $495. I installed ******, A very well onown brand 1 7/8” long tubes ($700) on my camaro, and had to indent a few tubes. Thats expected with any header. But for the $1700 ARH price tag, there is no way in hell I would pay that much. ARH and JBA are both 304 stainless, and will rust.

 

[2010 Infantry Vet]

I'm crossing my fingers and going to send you a rabbits foot for good luck before you begin your install!!!

*****!!! Who has the worst luck??? THIS guy!!! Haha

 

[stimpy433]

You're gonna need the extra horsepower from the headers to turn those 38" Monster Mudders!!!!

 

[Jwithing]

I take it yours are long tubes? If I have to make an indentation on one of the tubes to clear, and fab up a dipstick mount, thats not bad considering these are only $495. I installed ******, A very well onown brand 1 7/8” long tubes ($700) on my camaro, and had to indent a few tubes. Thats expected with any header. But for the $1700 ARH price tag, there is no way in hell I would pay that much. ARH and JBA are both 304 stainless, and will rust.

I didn't have to dent mine. I went with the 1 3/4 silver ceramic coating and JBA's y-pipe. My install took me about 60 hours... Here's a brief summary of my 'fun':

• First manifold bolt broke off
• Bottom of the dipstick tube broke off and fell into the pan
• Had to hack the dipstick lower bracket off instead of removing the motor mount and jacking the engine up to clear the bolt
• Tried fishing the dipstick tube out but ended up having to drop the pan, which is a nightmare in these 4x4's
• Dumped 6.5qts of oil all over my garage floor
• Snapped off an oil pan bolt and ended up slathering it with RTV sealant after a failed attempt at extraction, drilling, retapping, and breaking another bolt off
• New Dipstick tube was a pita to get in and bend
• Couldn't get one of my old 02 sensors out, so had to buy a new one
• Bought some 02 extensions
• Had to cut my catback off
• Catback disconnected at Y pipe after 2 days, had it tac welded, which recently failed.
• Questioned during install as to whether the gaskets were seated properly. Still wonder to this day if I have a leak at the manifold gaskets

Probably missing a few things... Good luck lol

 

[2010 Infantry Vet]

I didn't have to dent mine. I went with the 1 3/4 silver ceramic coating and JBA's y-pipe. My install took me about 60 hours... Here's a brief summary of my 'fun':

• First manifold bolt broke off
• Bottom of the dipstick tube broke off and fell into the pan
• Had to hack the dipstick lower bracket off instead of removing the motor mount and jacking the engine up to clear the bolt
• Tried fishing the dipstick tube out but ended up having to drop the pan, which is a nightmare in these 4x4's
• Dumped 6.5qts of oil all over my garage floor
• Snapped off an oil pan bolt and ended up slathering it with RTV sealant after a failed attempt at extraction, drilling, retapping, and breaking another bolt off
• New Dipstick tube was a pita to get in and bend
• Couldn't get one of my old 02 sensors out, so had to buy a new one
• Bought some 02 extensions
• Had to cut my catback off
• Catback disconnected at Y pipe after 2 days, had it tac welded, which recently failed.
• Questioned during install as to whether the gaskets were seated properly. Still wonder to this day if I have a leak at the manifold gaskets

Probably missing a few things... Good luck lol

Are you sure i wasnt with you, and my bad lick rubbed off on you?? Haha. I will be pulling the dipstick completely out before installing the headers...thanks to you. Then i will do a test fit, and fab one from there.
Kit i looked at said it includes O2 extensions, did yours not?

 

[2010 Infantry Vet]

You're gonna need the extra horsepower from the headers to turn those 38" Monster Mudders!!!!

 

[VB712]

I love my ARH long tubes. Just have to get used to hearing the engine/valve train noise which can be mistaken for an exhaust leak because of the thin wall stainless tubes.

 

[Jwithing]

Are you sure i wasnt with you, and my bad lick rubbed off on you?? Haha. I will be pulling the dipstick completely out before installing the headers...thanks to you. Then i will do a test fit, and fab one from there.
Kit i looked at said it includes O2 extensions, did yours not?

I dont think anybody was there licking me lol. You may or may not be able to get the old tube out without jacking the engine up slightly. Some have been able some not. I was probably an eighth inch away from being able to get the bolt out. If you can fab up a flexible dipstick like the Lokar, you may be able to sell them lol. The Lokar is pretty pricey, but I would have pulled the trigger during install if it was easily available. They said their lead time was 6 weeks or something crazy that I couldn't wait for.

 

[Jwithing]

I love my ARH long tubes. Just have to get used to hearing the engine/valve train noise which can be mistaken for an exhaust leak because of the thin wall stainless tubes.

Maybe that's why I question if I have a leak at times...

 

[2010 Infantry Vet]

I dont think anybody was there licking me lol. You may or may not be able to get the old tube out without jacking the engine up slightly. Some have been able some not. I was probably an eighth inch away from being able to get the bolt out. If you can fab up a flexible dipstick like the Lokar, you may be able to sell them lol. The Lokar is pretty pricey, but I would have pulled the trigger during install if it was easily available. They said their lead time was 6 weeks or something crazy that I couldn't wait for.

I hate this damn iphone! Always mispelling words! Haha.
Ok so your saying the way my truck sits now, I might have to jack up the motor a little to get the old dipstick out. 6 weeks for a dipstick? Crazy! I will reuse the stick dipstick, just make a few half cuts, bend, and tig weld seams.

 

[2010 Infantry Vet]

JWithing Did your kit not include O2 extensions?

 

[Jwithing]

JWithing Did your kit not include O2 extensions?

It did, but some weren't long enough. Don't quote me, but I think you only need to plug in the front ones maybe? Since you'll have to get them tuned out. But since I was buying longer extensions anyway, I went ahead and plugged them all in.

Cutting and modifying an existing dipstick sounds like a hassle too... You'd have to get the headers in place and then run something a bit maliable to figure out your proper dipstick routing, which now that I think of it, may be a helpful way to figure out how to bend it without fighting it with the headers bolted up.

 

[2010 Infantry Vet]

It did, but some weren't long enough. Don't quote me, but I think you only need to plug in the front ones maybe? Since you'll have to get them tuned out. But since I was buying longer extensions anyway, I went ahead and plugged them all in.

Cutting and modifying an existing dipstick sounds like a hassle too... You'd have to get the headers in place and then run something a bit maliable to figure out your proper dipstick routing, which now that I think of it, may be a helpful way to figure out how to bend it without fighting it with the headers bolted up.

#9 wire would work great for that to make a template. Its basically 1/8”steel wire, that bends fairly easy.